Men's Basketball Meets Austin Peay In BracketBusters

February 16 | Men's Basketball

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GAME 25

Austin Peay (18-7, 15-2 OVC)
at Akron (19-5, 10-2 MAC)

Saturday, February 17
5 p.m. EST
Rhodes Arena (5,500)
Akron, Ohio

Television: ESPNU - Jim Barbar (play-by-play) and Drew Barry (color).

Satellite Coordinates: SBS 6, TRP 8K

Webcast: GoZips.com - live outside the Akron area (not available in Summit County). Access is available through the Zips Zone.

Radio: Akron-ISP Sports Network - WARF (1350 AM) in Akron, WERE (1300 AM) in Cleveland and on the Internet at GoZips.com. Steve French (play-by-play) and Joe Dunn (color) (4:30 p.m. EST airtime).

Akron Coach Keith Dambrot (Akron ‘82):
Is in his third season with the Zips, owning a 61-25 (.709) mark in that time. He is 169-95 (.640) in his ninth season as a collegiate head coach. This is his first time facing Austin Peay.

Austin Peay Coach Dave Loos (Memphis ‘69):
Is in his 17th season on the sideline for the Governors, owning a 268-231 (.537) mark in that time. He is 350-284 (.552) in his 21st season as a collegiate head coach. This is his first time facing Akron. He is also the school's athletics director.

The Series: Saturday will be the 18th meeting between the two schools on the hardwood, with Akron leading the all-time series 9-8. The two programs competed in the Ohio Valley Conference from 1980-81 through 1986-87. The teams last met at APSU on Feb. 23, 1987 (a 63-58 Akron loss).

Up Next: Akron travels to Miami (Ohio) on Feb. 21 for a 7:30 p.m. EST match-up.

Akron Faces Austin Peay On BracketBuster Saturday...
The University of Akron men's basketball team (19-5, 10-2 Mid-American Conference) takes a break from league play on Saturday when it plays host to Austin Peay (18-7, 15-2 Ohio Valley Conference) as part of the O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBusters. The game, which will be televised on ESPNU, is scheduled to tipoff at 5 p.m. EST at Rhodes Arena.

Akron, which leads the MAC's East Division, comes off a 79-48 rout of Ohio on Tuesday and has won 10 of its last 11 games. The Zips have been recognized in the Associated Press poll for four-straight weeks – garnering seven votes in the latest edition.

Austin Peay, which sits atop the OVC standings, has been idle since an 89-44 victory over Tennessee State on Monday. The Governors have won four straight and 15 of their last 16 games.

Streaks, Storylines, Sidebars...
• Akron looks for its second consecutive 20-win season, after posting a 23-10 record in 2005-06. The program last performed the feat in 1987-88 (21-7) and 1988-89 (21-8) under coach Bob Huggins. Those two campaigns were on the end of four-straight 20 win seasons (22-8 in 1985-86 and 21-9 in 1986-87) in the Huggins era.
• Akron has won eight-consecutive games at Rhodes Arena and is 11-1 on its home floor this season (loss came to top-25 ranked Nevada 73-71 on Dec. 22). The Zips have won 28 of their last 29 home games.
• The Zips are 38-2 at home under third-year coach Keith Dambrot.
• Akron leads the MAC in eight statistical categories: scoring (75.9 ppg), scoring margin (+15.9), field-goal percentage (49.1 percent/682-of-1390), three-point field-goal percentage (39.2 percent/186-of-474), assists (16.1 apg), turnover margin (+3.7), assist-turnover ratio (1.3) and 3-point field goals made (7.8 mpg).
• UA is second in the league in scoring defense (60.0 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (40.5 percent), blocked shots (4.1 bpg) and steals (8.6 spg).
• The Zips have shot 48 percent or better from the field in 16 of 24 games this season, and have converted below 42 percent from the floor just once (38.2 percent/21-of-55 vs. Miami on Jan. 11). UA went 30-of-62 (48.4 percent from the floor against Ohio on Tuesday.
• The Zips converted 10-of-27 attempts (37 percent) from behind the arc against Ohio on Tuesday. Akron has made 10 or more treys in a contest eight times this season, and seven or higher on 17 occasions (season-high 14 vs. Tiffin off a school-record 36 attempts on Nov. 19).
• MAC Player-of-the-Year candidate Romeo Travis leads the Zips in scoring (13.7 ppg/12th in MAC), and ranks 14th on UA's career scoring chart with 1,329 points (113 career games). He is also the program's all-time blocked shots leader, with 139, and ranks ninth on the school's all-time rebounding list (710). He had nine points, five boards, a season-high four assists and three blocks against Ohio.
• Dru Joyce ranks second on UA's career assists chart with 468 (114 career games) (team-high 4.5 apg this season/3rd in MAC). He has had 14 assists compared to two turnovers in the last three games (four assists and no turnovers against Ohio). His 2.4 assist-turnover ratio leads the league.
• Jeremiah Wood leads the squad in rebounding (7.3 rpg/6th in MAC), and has averaged 13 points and eight boards over the last two games. He had 12 points and 10 caroms against Ohio - his third double-double this year.

On The Line Versus Austin Peay...
• An Akron victory would be its ninth straight at home and would make it 12-1 at Rhodes Arena this season.
• An Akron victory would be its second straight and 11th in 12 outings.
• An Akron victory would give it its second consecutive 20-win season, and would mark the sixth time since joining the Division I ranks (1980-81 season) it has achieved the milestone (18th time in the overall history of the program).

News, Notes, Trends...
• Akron has been recognized in the Associated Press poll for four-straight weeks – garnering seven votes in the latest listing (10 last week). The Zips also received one vote in the week 1 and week 2 editions.
• The Zips dropped two spots to No. 10 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The poll is released every Monday. UA was ranked as high as seventh this year.
• Akron's 68-65 loss at Toledo last Saturday (Feb. 10) snapped a nine-game win streak, the longest in coach Keith Dambrot's three-year tenure.
• Under Dambrot, UA is great at rebounding from a loss as the Zips have dropped consecutive games just twice under the third-year mentor (yet to do so in 2006-07 and once in each of the last two seasons).
• UA's five losses this season have come by a combined 18 points.
• After Saturday's game against Austin Peay, Akron closes the regular season by playing four of its last five contests on the road.
• UA has won 19-straight conference games at Rhodes Arena, dating back to the 2004-05 season. The last league opponent to defeat the Zips on their home floor was crosstown rival Kent State in a 57-54 decision on Feb. 9, 2005.
• The Zips are 7-3 in road games (best in the MAC) and 8-4 (1-1 neutral) in games played away from Rhodes Arena this season. Akron is 3-2 on the road in league play, and has posted a win in three of its last four conference away games ( wins at Bowling Green/Jan. 14, at Northern Illinois/Jan. 24 and at Eastern Michigan/Jan. 31 and a loss at Toledo/Feb. 10).
• Akron posted a 5-1 record against teams from the MAC's West Division this season, and had a stretch of 18-straight regular-season wins against foes from that side of the league snapped in its loss at Toledo (Feb. 10). That streak dated to Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis and Jeremiah Wood's sophomore seasons.
• Through 24 games seven different Akron players have led the team in scoring, with all seven of those averaging 20 minutes or more per game.
• UA has compiled 98 blocked shots (4.1 bpg) this season (leaders: Romeo Travis-36, Quade Milum-28), putting it on pace to have at least 127 for the year. The program's single-season record is 111 (2004-05), and the Zips' 102 rejections in 2005-06 rank second on that chart. The team had five blocks against Ohio on Tuesday, and has had at least one rejection in all but one game (vs. Central Michigan/Feb. 7).
• UA has notched double-digit steals seven times this season, and eight or more on 12 occasions (11 vs. Ohio).
• Akron has had more assists that turnovers in six of the last seven games and 16 times this season. The Zips had 18 assists and 11 miscues against Ohio on Tuesday.
• Coach Keith Dambrot signed a new five-year contract on Dec. 22, extending him through June 30, 2011.
• Akron was a hot topic during the preseason. The Zips were picked to win the MAC's East Division in the league's media poll as well as by CBSSportsline.com magazine, Sporting News, Street & Smith's, Lindy's and Athlon. CBSSportsline.com magazine also ranked them 20th nationally on its list of this season's top-64 teams.
• Dru Joyce and Romeo Travis are graduates of Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where they were teammates of NBA All-Star LeBron James. UA coach Keith Dambrot mentored the trio, and won two Ohio state championships, at the prep school before coming to UA as an assistant coach for the 2001-02 season.
• UA's 16-man roster consists of 12 players from Ohio, with four of those 12 having attended Akron-area high schools.

Zips Player Notables...
• Romeo Travis ranks 14th on Akron's career scoring chart with 1,329 points (113 career games), and is 49 points shy of taking over the 13th spot on the list – occupied by Darryl Peterson (1,377/2002-2006/122 games).
• Travis has scored in double figures in 19 games this season (15 of the last 17/nine points vs. Ohio), and has hit that double-digit mark 73 times in 113 career games. He has led the Zips in scoring nine times this year, and notched a season-high 24 points at UIC (Dec. 16) (four off his career best), and had 23 points against Central Michigan (Feb. 7).
• Travis's 710 career rebounds (113 career games) place him ninth all-time on the school's career chart. No. 8 is held by Harvey Glover (801/1969-73/102 games). Travis's 5.0 rpg is second on the team (18th in MAC).
• Travis became UA's all-time blocks leader during the second half of the Binghamton (Dec. 6) game, passing Bruce Weinkein (109/1998-2001/100 games) on that list. He now has 139 rejections (113 career games), and leads the team with 39 (1.7 bpg/second in the MAC) this season. He had a career-best six stuffs at UIC (Dec. 16), and has combined for five over the last two games (three vs. Ohio).
• Dru Joyce's 468 career assists (114 career games) is second most in school history, and is nine away from taking over the top spot held by Eric McLaughlin (476/1985-89/115 games). Joyce maintains a team-best 4.5 apg (third in MAC) and 2.4 assist-turnover ratio (first in MAC) (108 assists compared to 45 turnovers). He has had a season-high 10 dishes twice (at UIC/Dec. 16 and at Youngstown State/Jan. 2) (one off his career high). Joyce's 10.3 ppg ranks third on the squad (27th in MAC), and he has 964 career points. He was MAC East Player of the Week on Dec. 26.
• Jeremiah Wood leads the club in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and is fourth in scoring (9.3 ppg). He has led the Zips on the glass in seven of the last eight games, and 12 times this season. He notched his third double-double of the season vs. Ohio on Tuesday (12 points, 10 rebounds). Wood earned MAC East Player of the Week on Jan. 29. He sat out the previous season and a half to rehab a torn right ACL.
• Nick Dials is first on the team in steals (35/1.5 spg/12th in MAC), second in assists (2.9 apg/10th in MAC) and fifth in scoring (9.1 ppg). He was held scoreless for the first time this season vs. Ohio, but had three assists and three steals. Dials tore his left ACL prior to last season, but rehabbed in five months and played in all 33 games (31 starts).
• Cedrick Middleton plays the role of sixth man in the squad's seven-man rotation, and is second on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg/23rd in MAC), third in assists (1.9 apg) and tied for third in steals (26/1.1 spg). He had a career-high 25 points (14 in the second half) in a career-long 34 minutes against Kent State (Jan. 17). He had 13 points vs. Ohio.
• Quade Milum has bounced between the role of starter and reserve this season, and has averaged 20 minutes off the bench in the last six games. His 28 blocks (1.2 bpg/fifth in MAC) rank second on the team, while his 4.0 rpg is third and 7.5 ppg sixth. His 62 percent shooting clip from the floor is second best in the MAC (15-of-22 over the last five games/4-for-4 vs. Ohio).
• Nate Linhart ranks third in the MAC in 3-point percentage (44.3 percent), and broke a five-game stretch without making a triple (0-for-7 during that span) by converting 3-of-5 (60 percent) vs. Ohio. He is second on the team in steals (31/1.3 spg) and seventh in scoring (6.9 ppg).